Electric circuit control device



Sept. 12, M. MQlSTER ELECTRIC CIRCUIT CONTROL DEVICE Filed April 21, 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet l I l I I I I I 1 I I z 1 j r I 4 I Y J 24 1a 20 5 l 2 LL INVENTOR, E21 2; :1 lflbz'sfer ATTORNEY.

Sept. 12, 1933.

M. MOISTER ELECTRIC CIRCUIT CONTROL DEVICE Filed April 21, 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR, -222 r-IZ'ILZZZ 2's fer,

A TTORNE Y.

Patented Sept. 12, 1933 PATENT OFFICE ELECTRIC CIRCUIT CONTROL DEVICE Martin Moister, Philadelphia, Pa.

Application April 21, 1932. Serial No. 606,615

8 Claims.

The object of the invention is broadly to provide improvements'in electric circuit control de-' Vices, for the intermittent energizing of a series of circuits selectively and in predetermined sequence.

type, which comprises essentially a turntable or other suitable movable platform, with means to impart the desired motion to the same such as continuous or intermittent rotation, one or more series of switches preferablycarried by the turntable, one or more relatively stationary cams or similar means for actuating said switches in the desired order, and electrical connections whereby the lamps or other form of electrically energized apparatus or devices, preferably but not necessarily supported by the turntable, are so energized in accordance with the functioningof said switches as to produce the desired result, it being understood. that if desiredthe switches may be relatively stationary and the one or more cams carried by or in accordance with the movement of the turntable, in which latter case the device can be used for the control'of devices not carried by the turntable.

With the objects of the invention thus broadly stated, the invention comprises further details of construction and operation, which are fully brought out in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a top plan view of a device comprising one embodiment of the invention; Fig. 2 is a section on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is whatmay be termed a diagrammatic view, showing the circuits and certain of the switches in mere outline, while others of said switches are in section toshow their mode ofv operation; and Fig. 4 is a central diametrical section ofthe normally vertically movable switch.

, Referring to the drawings, one embodiment of the invention is shown as .comprising a hollow base formed of a bottom wall 1, from the periphery of which rise conical sides 2, the upper I edge portion of said sides merging into a preferably cylindrical downwardly extending wall 3, which surrounds a relatively shallow compartment 4, in turn closed at its bottom by means closure for the upper portion of the compartment 4, said spindle at its lower end being mounted in the bottom wall 1 through the medium of suitable anti-friction means 9.

The wall 5 of said compartment is also pierced by an aperture 10, through which extends the shaft 11 of a reduction gear unit 12, into which extends the shaft 13 of an electric motor 14, positioned within said casing and preferably resting upon the bottom wall 1 thereof. The shaft 11 carries upon its upper free end a gear 15 which meshes with a rack 16 upon the outerperiphery of a ring 1'7, secured in any suitable manner to the under surface of said turntable, whereby rotation of the motor 14 also rotates said turntable at predetermined speed through said reduction gear unit.

The bottom wall 5 of said compartment 4 is also provided with an annular depression 18, in which is secured, either a continuous ring or one or more spaced members 19, to form a cam surface, one portion 20 of which is higher than neighboring portions thereof, for the operation of a vertically movable switch bar 21, which moves in contact with said cam surface as the turntable rotates, said bar being a unitary part of a switch carried by said turntable and illustrated per se in Fig. 4.

Centrally disposed upon the underside of the bottom wall 5 of said compartment, is a plate 22, secured by any suitable means to said bottom wall and to a second plate 23 upon the upper surface of said wall, said wall and said plates being provided with aligned bores forming a housing 24 for an upwardly extending brush 25, beneath which is a coil spring 26, in turn secured in said housing by means of a plug or the like 27. The brush 25 bears continuously against the under surface of 1 an annular collector ring 28 carried by the under surface of said turntable and affords a means for conducting electric current from any available source to said turntable for purposes hereinafter described. It should also be noted that electric current of the opposite potential to that of said collector ring may be carried to the turntable through the medium of the spindle '7. It will also be'noted that to the upper surface of the second plate 23 is secured a cam ring 29, which is provided with a so-called high surface 30 and with one or more low surfaces 31, also for purposes hereinafter described.

Referring now more specifically to Figs. 1 and 3, the upper surface at least of said turntable is pierced by pairs of apertures 32*, 32 32, 32 32 and 32 for the reception of the prongs of the electric plugs, attached to wires which in turn extend to one or more lamps, motors, or other electrically energized devices preferably carried by and movable in accordance with the turntable. It will also be noticed that a series of radial switches 33 33 33, and 33 are carried by the under surface of the turntable, preferably within the ring 17, and so arranged that the heads 34 of the respective switch bars 35 bear against the surfaces 30 and 31 of the cam 29 under the influence of springs 36. The inner end of each such switch bar is provided with a metallic head 3'7;

which, when the outer head 34 is in engagement with the low surface 31 of said cam, connects contact members 38 and 39 within the hollow portion 40 of each of said switches.

One of these contact members, it will be noted, is connected electrically to a common wire 41, which in turn is connected through a wire 42 to the collector ring 28, the other of said contact members being connected in each case by a wire 43 to one side of each of the respective plug contact apertures 32*, 32, 32 and 32 the other side of each of said pairs of plug contact apertures being connected by wires 44 to a common wire 45, which in turn is connected by a wire 46 to the spindle 7.

At this point reference will be made to the switch which is actuated by means of the bar 21. For this switch a cavity 47 is provided, the same comprising aligned recesses in the adjacent surfaces of the turntable 8 and the depending ring 17. The bar 21 extends through a bore 48 in said ring and upon its inner end within said cavity is provided a preferably circular metallic plate 49, which is normally pressedby means of a suitable spring 50 into cooperation with a plurality of contacts 51*, 51 51251 and 51 also positioned within said cavity. Resuming now my reference to the wiring connections, the wires 43 of the receptacle apertures 32, 32, 32, and 32 are connected to the respective contacts 51 51, 51", and 51 respectively, the remaining contact 51 being connected to the common return wire Referring to the pairs of plug-receiving apertures and their corresponding contacts (not shown) 32* and 32 one side-of each of these is connected by means of a wire 52 to the common wire 41, while the other side in each instance is connected by a wire 53 to the common wire 45. Therefore, since these plug connections are connected directly to said common lead wires without the interposition of any form of switch, it is apparent that as current-connecting means they are at all times energized, and any form of apparatus, such for instance as a small motor or certain lights, whichit is desired to operate continuously, can have their respective leads and terminal plugs inserted in either or both of these two pairs of receptacle contact-providing apertures 32 and 32*. I r v Referring to the operation of the device, it is assumed that various forms of advertising, artistic, or other desired apparatus or devices are positioned upon and rotatably carried by turntable 8.. Dependingupon the sequence of the intermittent andsimultaneous operation of the respective devices thus carried by the turntable,

their lead wires and plug terminals (not shown) are normally attached to the receptacle contacts represented bythe pairs of apertures 32*, 32, 32*, and 32, the continuousenergizing of the receptacle apertures 32. and 32 having been hereinbefore referred to. As the turntable rotates, it is obvious that the heads 34 of the bars 35 of the respective switches 33*, 33*, 33, and 33 are in sequence forced into cooperation with the low" surface 31 of the cam 29, and in this position as shown in Fig. 3, the switch 33 and each of the others in turn is closed by the metallic head 37 bridging and electrically connecting the corresponding contacts 38 and 39 of each switch. As the electric current passes through the wires as hereinbeiore described, it is apparent that as these switches are closed and opened in sequence, the respective apparatus or devices electrically connected to them through the receptacle contacts above listed are also in sequence alternately energized and de-energized. However, since the switch of Fig. 4 is interpositioned in each of the circuits including the switches 33 to 33, inclusive, as the turntable reaches one or more predetermined positions, the switch bar 21 is forced by the spring 50 downwardly into the low" of the surface of the one or more cam elements 19 and 2G, in which position of the switch the head 49 connects each of the contacts 51' to 51', inclusive, with the contact 51, and thereby opcrates to short circuit each of said first-named switches, with the result that the apparatus here-- inbel'ore referred to as being controlled by said switches is simultaneously actuated.

With a structure such as that hereinbefore described, it is obvious that by varying the number of receptacle contacts, the arrangement and positioning of the low surfaces of the cams 29 and 19, together with the relationship between the low surfaces of the two cams, almost an infinite number of results can be obtained in the lighting or other form of energizing of the devices carried by said turntable.

Having. thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to protect by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A control device, comprising a relative movable turntable, adapted to support electrically actuatable devices, a relatively stationary earn, a switch carried by said turntable and having its actuating bar in contact with said cam, and means to detachably electrically connect devices which may be carried by said turntable to an extraneous source of current through said switch.

2. A control device, comprising a turntable adapted to support electrically actuatable' devices, a relatively stationary cam, a plurality of switches carried by said turntable and actuatable by engagement of their respective bars with said cam, a separate cam, a separate switch operative to short-circuit said first switches and actuatable by engagement with said last-named cam, and electrical connections whereby said first switches control in sequence the devices carried by said turntable and said last-named table, and means to rotate said turntablwone side of said receptacle being connected to said unit and the other side being grounded throng said spindle and said base. 4. A control device, comprising a hollow base having a depressed wall to provide a compartment, a turntable forming a sidc of said compartment, a spindle carrying said turntable and extending through said wall, a plurality of cams carried by said wall, a series of switches carried by said turntable and actuatable by engagement with one of said cams, said switches being operative to control in sequence a plurality of electrically actuatable devices carried by said turntable, and a separateswitch also carried by said turntable and actuatable by engagement with a second cam, said last-named switch being operative to short circuit said first switches for the simultaneous control of such electrical devices.

5. A control device, comprising a base having a cam surface, a turntable rotatably carried by said base, a plurality of contacts carried by said turntable, a metallic plate adapted when in one position to electrically connect said contacts, and a plate-actuating bar in engagement with said cam surface, to move said plate to alternately connect and disconnect said contacts as said turntable rotates.

6. A control device, comprising a base having a cam surface, a turntable rotatably carried by said base, an annular member carried by said turntable, a plurality of contacts carried by said member, a metallic plate adapted when in one position to electrically connect said contacts, and a plate-actuating bar in slidable engagement with said member and in contact with said cam surface, to move said plate to alternately connect and disconnect said contacts as said turntable rotates.

"7. A control device, comprising a base having a cam surface, a turntable rotatably carried by said base, a cam relatively fixed with respect to said turntable, a series of switches carried by said turntable and having their actuating bars in contact with and shiftable by said fixed cam, a switch short circuiting a plurality of said first switches and carried by said turntable and having its actuating bar in contact with and shiftable .by said first cam, and connections to lead current to, between and from said switches to alternately and/or simultaneously energize electrical devices carried by said turntable.

8. A control device, comprising a base having a cam surface, a turntable rotatably carried by said base, a cam relatively fixed with respect to said turntable, a series of switches carried by said turntable and having their actuating bars in contact with and shiftable by said fixed cam, a switch short circuiting a plurality of said first switches and carried by said turntable and having its actuating bar in contact with and shiftable by said first cam, connections to lead current to, between and from said switches to alternately and/or simultaneously energize electrical devices carried by said turntable, and a motor and reduction gear unit within said base and operative to rotate said turntable at predetermined speed.

MARTIN MOISTER. 

